Woman of Science
by Still Doing Science Sir
Summary: A series of one-shots focusing on Caroline, taking place between her birth to after the events of Portal 2. Contains Caveline and Caroline being Chell's mother.


As a women of Science, Caroline did not believe in luck, with one exception. Her constant companion, a red and white silk scarf, had been deemed 'lucky'. The data all pointed to that fact. It seemed that all of the best events in her life have occurred when she was wearing that scarf. Her engagement, her marriage, Michelle's 1st birthday, the creation of the Companion Cube [which was a special tribute to her]. Every time she wore the scarf, something 'lucky' happened. There was only one instance that something 'unlucky' happened while she was wearing the scarf. But every good scientist knows that some data can only be classified as an anomaly.

There had been a first 'lucky scarf' but that was some trinket to get her through college and into a career. It had never been backed by the data of her real 'lucky scarf'. Her current 'lucky scarf' was far more special, a gift from Mr. Johnson himself.

Her relationship with her boss had just started; in fact she had received it on her first date with him. She had been feeling rather shy, but was quickly warming up to him. It had taken place at a park on the shores of Lake Michigan...

_On the shores of Lake Michigan, a couple sat on a wooden bench. The bench was positioned facing the water, but the couple was paying no attention to the view. He, looking slightly older than she, was engaging the conversation. Even though his side of the conversation was blindingly fake, she pretended otherwise. She would nod and laugh on cue, clearly enjoying being in his presence.  
_

"_So there I was, surrounded by those mantis men. About a dozen or so, but they were nothing for ol' Cave Johnson. However, I was wounded, so I knew I could only take out about half of 'em before they overcame me. They were looking mighty hungry too. One of them lunged towards me and- You know what happened next don't you?" He asked warmly, placing his arm on her shoulder, pulling her closer. _

"_Let me guess. You magically learned karate within seconds and healed. They all were obliterated. Or did the test subjects _finally_ show up?" She said sarcastically, chuckling at the thought of him, an avid complainer of sore joints, doing karate._

"_Caroline, I'm disappointed in you." He replied, shaking his head in mock disapprovement._

_She glanced up quickly, trying to read his expression. She didn't quite catch the joking edge of his voice. "Sir?" She questioned, concerned she did something wrong._

_He gave her a warm smile, reassuring her. "You should know by now there isn't such a thing as magic. Well...unless you count the magic of Science. Though saying it's 'magic' is a stretch. Magic's that strange mumbo jumbo that 'wizards' do. Unorderly, unsolvable, and -if you ask me- kind of weird. Complete opposite of Science."  
_

_She chuckled, placing her head on his shoulder. As soon as she did however, he stood up and reached his hand out for hers. "Let's take a walk." He sounded excited, like a bird in an abandoned building: chock full of potential nest building sites._

"_I'd be delighted to." She replied, accepting his hand and with his help, stood. He kept a hold of her hand, giving it a slight tug towards the path._

_They started down the pathway, clear lake on one side, a sloping hill on the other. A few times he skipped for a few paces, causing her to burst out in an uncontrolled fit of the giggles. He swung their joined hand back and forth, humming a merry tune. It was suspiciously like 'For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" but it was hard to tell with his musical ability. Not that she minded. Anything he did was good enough for her._

_Without notice, he tugged her towards the hill. She paused, not sure if it was allowed. This was public property after all, but was it so at the top of the hill? He gave her hand another tug and she followed. He noted her hesitation, and reassured her. "It's just over the top of the hill. Just a little surprised I cooked up. Completely legal and it definitely involved cooking." _

_She caught his underlying message, and now she was the one pushing him to rush up the hill, eager to get to the surprise. He chuckled, calling "Race you to the top!" He released her hand and sprinted; well, he sprinted as well as he could for his age. _

_Caroline lifted the skirt of her dress and ran as well as was possible with her dress. She sped past him, and dropped to the ground at the top of the hill. He struggled up the remaining distance and collapsed next to her. "I let you win." He panted out. _

_She burst out laughing, savoring this moment of joy. "Sure you did." Once they both had caught their breath, he placed his hand over her eyes. She was puzzled for the moment before she remembered the surprise that had led them here. _

_He slowly turned her to face away from the lake and towards her surprise. She couldn't see anything, but trusted him nonetheless. "We're going to walk forward, just a few steps." He said, before proceeding to do as he had said. "Can you sit down?" He asked. She did as he requested, sitting down, her eyes still covered._

"_Keep your eyes closed until I tell you to open them." He commanded. She nodded, squeezing her eyes shut. He slowly removed his hand and placed them comfortingly on her shoulders. "Okay...open them!" _

_She did as he said, blinking against the sudden light. She was sitting on the edge of a classic red and white checkered blanket. The blanket was under a huge tree, causing shadows to overcast the couple. Two vanilla scented candles provided extra light to the darkened space. The candles flickered, highlighting the wicker basket that had transported the picnic itself. The homemade meal was two turkey sandwiches with water to wash it down. _

"_Do you like it?" He asked, hopefulness softening his usually hard voice. She nodded, too happy to verbally reply. "Well, good, then maybe you'll enjoy this gift." As he spoke, he untied her tattered scarf, which was now an old keepsake more than an actual fashion accessory. In its place a soft yet silky scarf was tied. He paused, waiting for her reply._

_She raised a hand to the scarf, tenderly fingering it. "It's perfect." She whispered, her voice catching. "This is all just _so _perfect." She looked over her shoulder at him. On his face was a wide grin.  
_

_"Well, shall we enjoy this 'perfect' meal now?" She replied with a nod and a broad smile. _Yes, the data did point to the scarf being lucky.


End file.
